Most important Chicago Bears in 2025: No. 5 Joe Thuney

The wait is almost over. The Bears will return to the practice field on July 23 when they hold their first training camp practice under new head coach Ben Johnson.

Over two weeks, Shaw Local is counting down the 10 most important Bears heading into the 2025 season. Importance is obviously subjective. But for our purposes, it comes down to these questions:

Are the Bears worse off without the player? Does the player have untapped potential or past greatness to live up to? Is his story going to be one fans follow closely this season?

The best player on the team isn’t always the most important, but he certainly can be.

Here’s a look at No. 5 on the list. Check back the rest of the week to see the 10 most important Bears.

No. 5 Joe Thuney

Position: Left guard

Experience: 10th season

Looking back: The Bears needed an offensive line revamp after last season. The unit allowed quarterback Caleb Williams to be sacked a team-record 68 times last year and never truly found consistency because of injuries.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles made addressing the unit a priority this offseason. He traded for Jonah Jackson and signed center Drew Dalman. But no addition on the line was bigger than trading for and then extending former All-Pro tackle Joe Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Thuney has won at the highest level throughout his nine-year career. He won four Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and the Chiefs and was named an All-Pro lineman four times in his career. Thuney has started all 146 games that he’s played.

At 32, Thuney hasn’t shown signs of slowing down. He earned first-team All-Pro honors last year, and Pro Football Focus ranked him the 12th offensive guard in the NFL with a 79.9 score. Thuney committed one penalty and didn’t allow a sack last season, leading his teammates to name him the team’s most valuable player.

Looking ahead: Poles traded for something his roster didn’t have in March when he decided to go after Thuney. Not only did the Bears add an All-Pro offensive lineman at an important position, but Poles also added a proven leader who’s won at the highest level.

Thuney’s impact should be felt throughout the Bears roster. He’ll be a key leader for a revamped offensive line that’s trying to get acclimated with each other. Some younger players, such as Darnell Wright, Braxton Jones, Ozzy Trapilo and Kiran Amegadjie will also benefit from learning from an experienced All-Pro.

Thuney should also be helpful for Williams on and off the field. After playing along with elite quarterbacks Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, Thuney can share what he learned from those quarterbacks as Williams tries to take a major step in his second season.

“He’s seen a lot of different things, played with a lot of different players,” Poles said in March after trading for Thuney. “There’s a level of maturity and leadership that is definitely going to enhance not only just the offensive line room, but our entire roster.”

That impact was already felt in the spring and will be felt more once the season starts. Thuney has proven an ability to stay healthy throughout his career. That will be important because the Bears will have a major hole if Thuney misses any time because of an injury.

If the Bears’ offensive line and the rest of the roster reach their full potential in their first season under Johnson, Thuney will have played a major role.

Previous installments of the top 10 most important Bears

• No. 10 Gervon Dexter
• No. 9 Drew Dalman
• No. 8 Dayo Odeyingbo
• No. 7 D’Andre Swift
• No. 6 Rome Odunze